A quick sear in a little butter heightens the white nectarine's caramel notes, keeps raw flavors intact, and protects the fruit from discoloring, which means you can prepare this simple dessert ahead.
Read more about this recipe in the Santa Monica Farmers' Market Cookbook.

These pickled quail eggs take a bit of effort. Teatro Goldoni chef Fabrizio Aielli serves the little gems with a dab of Taleggio cheese and a thin slice of raw tuna. They'd work well in salads, too.
Read more about this recipe at the Washington Post.

Bouillabase is a traditional Provençal fish stew originating from the port city of Marseille. It can include any variety of fish or shellfish in a rich broth. To serve this for a party, try making the broth in advance, and then asking each guest to bring 1/4 pound of their favorite seafood to share.

Simply cooked black beans are delicious wrapped in a tortilla, stirred into soups and vegetable dishes, and even by themselves as a side -- try them with a dollop of sour cream, a squeeze of lime, broiled with Monterey Jack cheese or sprinkled with fresh cilantro.

The flavor of orange is an unusual twist on your basic lamb chop, but goes wonderfully with the piney and fragrant fresh rosemary. Garlic, honey, and bay leaves round out the tanginess with sweet and pungent tones.

Doesn't this recipe sound good? It is. If you'd like some ideas about what to eat with it, click on the "goes with..." tab to the left. For the lowdown on ingredients, techniques and tools, click on "related tips."

Coq au vin is a classic French stew that used to mean rooster, or cock, cooked in wine. Old birds who'd been kept around for years needed to be braised slowly to soften up their meat, and the sauce for the dish was thickened with the cock's blood. These days, we use chicken when making a coq au vin, and a roux to thicken the sauce.